There were two minutes remaining on the clock. My opponent moved to make a shot. The only problem was, I was blocking her path. She took swift steps, aimed, and kicked the ball towards the goal with all her might. Unfortunately, she never made the goal. Instead, the ball whacked the side of my head, hard, leaving me with an experience that would greatly impact my junior year. Headaches, irritation, and confusion; these are some of the symptoms of a concussion. Diagnosed with an acute concussion, I was left with limitations. I felt chained down in one spot, unable to move forward for the first five months of my junior year. Listening to loud sounds or using my brain would trigger a badgering headache which prohibited me from attending full class
two concussions, then a third is 2-4 times more likely, and if they 've had three concussions, then
Concussions are complex cerebral injuries that result in a series of metabolic events within the brain. The changes are seen in the fragile neuronal homeostatic balances where changes in the elevations of glutamate and potassium have been identified. The effects of concussions have also been seen in the functioning of the brain rather than in the structure of the brain itself. Being identified as mild traumatic brain injuries, occurring due to a bump or jolt to head or neck, concussions can result in both short-term and long-term effects. Although most individuals are able to recover from these head injuries, a small but relevant portion of individuals have been found to suffer from chronic long-term effects including early onsets of Alzheimer disease, clinical depression and other cognitive complications. The occurrence of a secondary concussion during the recovery phase of a primary concussion, also recognized as the second impact syndrome, has been shown to increase the risk for long-term effects of cerebral and neurological failure as the neurons have become incapable of experiencing normal functions after an initial traumatic brain injury. The recoveries from these initial concussions are critical to prevent the onset of long-term effects.
The signs and symptoms of a concussion consist of the following: headache, dizziness, difficulty with memory, sensitive to light and sound, and many more.
Concussions cause CTE and CTE causes people in their 40’s to feel like they're 80 physically and mentally. The NFL however doesn’t tell you how bad CTE is because then people wouldn’t play football. This topic has caused problems for the NFL for 10 years now and it’s something that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Depending on its severity, as little as one concussion can cause significant brain damage, over the course of the injured person’s lifetime, and he may not even know it is happening.
A concussion can cause an individual to experience physical, mental and emotional complications, some of which may include:
Did you know, that someone suffers from a brain injury every 21 seconds (Haas)? Children get concussions all the time, and most of the time they go unnoticed. The majority of concussions happen when one is playing a sport such as football, hockey, or lacrosse. Many famous athletes have had their careers, even their lives cut short due to concussions. Brain damage and death can result from serial concussions (Schafer). When one suffers from a concussion, one’s brain needs time to recover physically and mentally. Between 2002 and 2006, statistics showed that 52,000 people died from concussions and about 275,000 were hospitalized (Fundukian). Everyone’s recovery process is different (“Injury and
In recent years concussions have become more and more of a topic due to their effects on the people who receives them. Concussions can cause a multitude of problems for a person later in their life whether they suffered from a major concussion or just a minor concussion. These problems can occur if a person ended up with multiple concussions over a lifetime or if they only have had one single concussion The problems a person can encounter are all somewhat connected but very diverse at the same time. Most of the problems a person will encounter will be due to a change in that person's brain but they can range from simple memory problems to suicidal problems.
I will be, first, describing what a concussion is exactly. According to the WebMD website, a concussion is a type
Approximately 10% of athletes take longer than seven days to fully recover from a concussion (article 1), but they still go back to the playing field before reaching that point. This is very dangerous and is mostly due to the fact that athletes, especially males, do not report their symptoms in fear of being sat out for a long period of time (article 1). It is understood that often if a person isn't feeling like they are experiencing any major symptoms then they might not want to be held back from participating in their normal activities. A concussion starts out as an "invisible" injury and can become majorly serious as time goes on if not properly handled and treated. An intelligent decision would be to have the concussed athlete monitored by someone, such as their coach, before a physician can give the athlete permission to return to the playing field
“Meh, what’s some brain damage gonna hurt”, was a quote that ultimately lead to the death of John McCrae athlete, Rowan Stringer. She was known to be a “leader” and an “amazing rugby player” on her school varsity rugby team according to various sources. The concept that shocks me the most is that she died from second impact syndrome, revealing her brave, yet poor decision that resulted in her unfortunate death. As you can see, concussions can be life threatening. In order to appropriately handle a concussion, one must be aware of the symptoms of a concussion, how to deal with concussions, and the consequences of concussions.
Many people hear the word “concussion” and think of it as being just a simple headache; however, not many know the significant health consequences associated with receiving a concussion. Concussions can have a variety of adverse effects on a person, some of which include sensory changes and deficits, emotional difficulties like depression, and an overall reduction in cognitive functioning. Abnormal eye movements and a reduced sense of touch are examples of sensory changes and deficits that are common with concussions. Individuals on the receiving end of concussions also deal with emotional difficulties including depression and even certain forms of guilt. Reduction in overall cognitive
Concussions are a quickly growing epidemic among young athletes who are involved in contact sports such as football, basketball, hockey, etc. It is a very common injury and sometimes underreported. When left undetected, concussions can result in long-term brain damage and may even prove fatal. It is important to know the causes, symptoms, and signs of a concussion, especially for those who play sports. The nervous system is a collection of nerves and cells that are known as neurons that gives signals between different parts of the body. Structurally, the nervous system has two parts: the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. According to the National Institutes of Health, the central nervous system is made up of the brain,
Recent studies show that concussions can be found by a simple blood test. Most people get “dings” a hit that people refer to a hit on the head. The common signs that you have concussions are dizziness, nausea, confusion, light sensitivity, and headaches. Doctors and scientists conducted blood tests for over 600 people and all are 18 and up. The people they conducted the test on was from car crashes, sports, and other activities. They found out that you can find out if a person has a concussion by taking a blood test and measuring UCH-11 (a type of protein) in the blood that was taken for a sample, or/and even in the bloodstream.
Once a concussion happens you will not always know instantly, sometimes it takes days or even weeks to even begin to experience concussion like symptoms. Concussion symptoms include severe headaches, sensitivity to light and loud noises, nausea, dizziness, blurred vision,
The most common systems with concussion are headaches, insomnia, anxiety, loss of concentration and sensitivity to noise and light. It can also cause nausea, emotional behavior problems, processing information, slowed speech, and impairment of the body functions. Personality changes can also occur from post-concussion syndrome, from passive to aggressive behavior can effect a person’s well being. Loss of balance and equilibrium and can also cause vertigo (Mayo Clinic page1).